The Loop caught up with Poweroos captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis to learn more about powerchair football, his journey, what’s next for the team and how everyone can support the Poweroos in the upcoming World Cup!

For those that haven’t heard of it, what is powerchair football?

Powerchair Football is an adapted form of outdoor football (soccer), that is tailored towards electric wheelchair users who have slightly more severe disabilities that don’t allow them to play other adapted team sports, such as wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby for example. It is played on an indoor surface, the same as a basketball court/futsal pitch, 4-on-4 (3 outfield players and a goalkeeper per team) and all the markings you would expect to see on an outdoor football pitch replicated on our own 30 m x 18 m indoor pitch.

How did you get involved in the sport and what has been your journey so far? How long have you been on the Australian team?

I got involved with Powerchair Football since its inception in Australia sometime during 2010. Previously I had played other adapted sports including a form of Rugby League and Powerchair Hockey. A father of another player from the other adapted sports somehow found Powerchair Football online and figured we should absolutely be playing it in Australia as well. He approached me and ask if I would be interested in not only playing, but also being a part of the inaugural board to establish the sport, and being the football nut that I am, I didn’t hesitate to say yes!

I have been on the Australian National team since we attended our first World Cup in Paris, 2011 and I am very honoured to also be the captain of the team for all that time.

What are three highlights/stand out moments for you playing for the Poweroos?

The 3 biggest stand out moments of my Poweroos career would have to be being selected as captain for the first World Cup we participated in and getting to lead all the players out at the opening ceremony to the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of or seen for a Powerchair sport.

Another standout moment was scoring 2 goals in a comeback victory against Japan at our 2nd World Cup in Florida, 2017. It was a quarter-final, with a chance to get Australia into the Top 4 ranked countries in the world so being able to help do that meant everything to me.

Finally, it would be representing the country and having a World Cup on home soil in 2023. There are very few players who get the chance to play in a World Cup in their home country, and the support from all the Australian crowd was nothing like I’ve ever heard before. Scoring goals in front of a home audience and the roof of the stadium feeling like it’s about to be blown off is an unforgettable feeling, and something that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

The emotion you showed when you scored a goal in the APO Cup final was something else. Why does the sport mean so much to you and why was that goal so important?

In that moment, I think the emotion just takes over! Japan had been such a tough opponent during the whole tournament, neither team had scored against each other in the previous 2 matches, and on a personal level I missed a gilt-edged opportunity or two in those previous matches. So, to finally score in the one game that mattered the most, the final, I just let everything out!

As I said earlier, I am a massive football nut. I stay awake until 2 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM, even 6 AM to watch my beloved Chelsea FC for all their matches live, so being able to replicate and score these massive goals that I have grown up watching all my favourite players do means everything to me.

It’s something that before 2010 and growing up my whole life, I thought I would never be able to do, but since finding Powerchair Football all those barriers have been shattered!

How do you hype yourself up before a match?

I am a pretty calm person even though my goal celebrations and post-match celebrations might not really show that haha. Before a game I’m quite quiet, just thinking and visualising all the things I want to execute while playing in the upcoming match. Usually, the stadium is playing some music over the speakers just before kick-off, and if it’s a music I like, that usually gets me bopping and upbeat! Otherwise, it’s just full focus and locking in for me.

How can people support the Poweroos for the upcoming World Cup as well as the campaign to get Powerchair Football at the Paralympics?

Powerchair Football in Australia is still all self-funded, and all my (low) income and savings go towards the sport and making sure I can attend all the training camps around Australia and the tournaments around the world. Sponsorships and donations are going to be paramount for myself and the rest of the team to continue on competing at the highest level all around the world.

To get into the Paralympics we need all the support we can get! Social media influence is huge and everyone liking, subscribing, sharing and watching all our Powerchair Football content goes a very long way. Getting the sport more exposure on TV and articles just like this one around the world can help to show everybody, everywhere, how amazing the sport is.

What does the next twelve months look like for the Poweroos ahead of the World Cup?

The next 12 months is going to have to be a bigger grind than the last 12 months, and probably than ever before! A lot of training camps, a lot of training in our personal time and lots of studying opponents and other great players from around the world.

APO Cup was Level 1, but the World Cup is going to be the Final Boss, and we have a long way to go if we want to achieve what we know we can.

What are you most looking forward to about the World Cup?

I consider myself pretty football crazy, but if there is one type of people who I can’t even hold a candle to, it’s the South Americans! The atmosphere in Argentina is going to be something that I know all of us have never experienced before. Hopefully none of these young gun Poweroos take my spot yet and am able to get to Argentina and play in front of the wildest football crowds ever!

If you could form a dream starting four powerchair football team from any past or present player from anywhere in the world, who would they be?

This is such a hard question because I have played with, against and watched so many amazing players across a few generations now! I’ll try to take any bias out that I might have for my closest friends from home and abroad haha and I’ll try to make the squad fit classification as well to make it fair!

My All-Time Starting IV

Michael Archer (USA — PF2)

Bryan Weiss (France — PF2)

Momo Ghelami (France — PF1)

Jerome “Pika” Durand (France — PF1)

You selected three France players in your ultimate starting four. Do you see them as Australia’s biggest threat at the World Cup?

They definitely are the biggest threat, not only to just Australia but the whole world! What they showed at the World Cup in 2023 and even more recently at the European Nations Cup just last month, is a level of play that I think everyone around the world wants to reach.

As one of the pioneers of the sport, they have always been a strong nation, but it seems in recent times they have just taken it to the next level. Sadly, Pika has passed away quite a few years ago now, and Michael Archer retired from international competition, but when I first got involved in the sport, those 2 were the world’s best. Doing it all well before Strikeforces were ever made. Now Momo and Bryan are carrying the torch handed down by Pika and have taken France all the way to juggernaut status!

What is one piece of advice you would give someone who is looking to get involved?

Don’t hesitate! It will definitely be one of the best decisions you make in your life. Even if you don’t have aspirations to represent your country, or play at the highest level, you will still find the greatest community in the world. Some of the best friends you will ever make in your life, and you’ll find them from every corner of the globe.

Learn more about powerchair football by visiting the Australian Powerchair Football Association’s website or follow the Poweroos on Facebook or Instagram!